Even Further Beyond
by Xzeihoranth
Summary: Part 2 of A Thousand Worlds. In which the False Shepherd and the Lamb meet the Prince and the Eternal Challenger.
1. Chapter 1

"So Kakarot, I see you've made some new friends. Have they come to witness the ascension first-hand?" The self-proclaimed prince of all Saiyans strode towards the assembled crowd, his eyes darting between the newcomers and his rival, who was the first to greet him.

"Hey Vegeta, long time no see! Dende says these two came out of nowhere; he didn't sense them coming!"

"Is that so?" Vegeta drew level with them and looked suspiciously at the man and the young woman. "Hmph. I can't even sense them now, so I don't think it's his fault for once!"

"Are you sure?" Goku asked. "Take a good look at the one on the right..." Vegeta squinted at her, making her shift uncomfortably. "Hey, back off." the man said, stepping in front of her and glaring at the Saiyan prince. Vegeta's eyes flicked to him, and then back to the girl. "Yes, yes, I see it now. There's something very strange about her. It's unlike anything I've ever felt before."

"It gets even stranger. They say they're from another dimension, with a whole city in the sky!" Goku said.

"A city in the sky, hmm? Well if this hunk of rock can float, I'm sure someone else out there's gotten the hang of it." Vegeta said dismissively. "But enough of these petty distractions, Kakarot. Have you been keeping up with your training in the Other World?"

"You bet!" Goku said, briefly entering a fighting stance and firing off a few punches. "Who knows, maybe I've found some things you haven't!"

"Hah! Fat chance. The last time I saw you, you were still in the base form, but your son and I are far beyond that now! After your fight with Cell claimed your life, he returned and slaughtered my own son Trunks! It was my rage at his demise, and the fear that I might never be able to surpass you in death, that pushed me to the same heights of power that your son had risen to! Anger beyond anything I had ever felt filled every fiber of my being, yet still that accursed android fought on! He was barely able to fend us off, boasting all the while of the imminent destruction of the planet! It seemed your son had finally mustered enough strength to finish him, but Cell countered with a blast of his own! He ignored me entirely, claiming that Gohan was the worthier fighter! His arrogance was his undoing, and when I unleashed my most powerful attack, he was CRUSHED like the bug he was, between two immovable objects!"

The man had waited impatiently during Vegeta's tirade, and when the Saiyan prince finished, he spoke. "I didn't think it was humanly possible for a man to have a bigger ego than Fink, but this day's just full of surprises."

Vegeta turned to face him angrily. "Shut your ignorant mouth before I shut it for you! Human indeed, the idea! Kakarot and I are the last remaining pure-blooded Saiyans! A race of warriors far beyond anything your feeble mind can imagine!"

"You're saying (heh, Saiyan)...you're saying you're not human? You come from outer space or something?" the man said.

"You got that right!" Goku interjected with a smile.

"Okay, now we're talking to aliens. Don't know why that surprises me, but there y'are. Now that your friend's done running his mouth, how's about you folk sit here and listen while I tell you 'bout the day I just had..."


	2. Chapter 2

Silence reigned on the Lookout as Booker DeWitt paused for breath, nearing the end of his tale. The young woman had come to stand by his side, meeting everyone's gaze with her own. "She still hasn't filled me in on why exactly we went traipsing 'cross the stars instead of finishing the damn thing where it started, but the way I see it, we got nothing but time on our side now. And the more of that time I spend making up for all those years I been away, the better."

Elizabeth smiled at him fondly. "There's another you out there, and another me, from a much brighter lighthouse. They're the ones who'll take care of it. 'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.'"

"And if that means we sit back on our asses while the rest of the job gets done, I guess I can live with that." Booker said as he tried to return the smile. "Whew. Think that's the most talkin' I've done in years. Anyone here got some water?"

Dende stepped forward. "After the ordeal you've both suffered, that's the least we could give you. Mr Popo!" A small round black-skinned man appeared, wearing a large and somewhat eerie smile. "Please bring food and water for our guests." The man nodded and walked off without a word.

Goku was the next to speak. "Wow. I wish I had something better to say." Krillin and Piccolo nodded vigorously in agreement. "Hey, wait a second; I think you two deserve a wish on the Dragon Balls for all you've been through!"

"Kakarot, have you lost what little brains you had left while you were in the afterlife? We don't even know if they're telling the truth!"

"Aw come on Vegeta, I bet old Shenron would love the company! Besides, they'd have to be almost as crazy as you are to make up a story like that!" Krillin said. Vegeta scowled, but offered no further protest. "I'll be back before you know it!" Goku said excitedly and leapt into the air. "It's just a quick trip over to South City for the Dragon Radar..." He dove down, narrowly missing Booker's head. "Then maybe a stop by my house to see how Chi-Chi and Gohan are doing. But after that, it's on to the Dragon Balls!" With a cheery wave, he flew off into the distance.

"He's very enthusiastic for a dead man." Elizabeth commented.

"Most dead men we knew were too busy bleeding out their noses to even give us the time of day, let alone offer up a magic wish on some 'Dragon Balls'." Booker agreed.

Just then the strange man Dende had referred to as Mr Popo returned, bearing three large trays of food and a jug of water on his head. "It's such a pity we can't find that pitcher that never runs dry." he said as he placed the dishes down. He looked at Booker, and just for a moment, Booker thought he heard a different voice quite unlike anyone else's, a sly, wicked voice. "Why you could just about drown yourself in it." He looked about in confusion, but no one else seemed to have heard it as they were far too busy digging into the food before them, except Elizabeth. "What is it Booker?" she asked.

"It's nothin'. Just felt like someone walked over my grave." He shrugged off his jacket and laid it on the ground for her. "There y'go, don't want you gettin' that dress all dirty now." She smiled at him as she sat down on it. "This dress is covered in blood, soot and some other things I'm not even sure I want to think about. A little dirt's not going to hurt it." They continued to banter as they began eating, the other four watching with various blends of amusement, concern, mild curiosity and disdain.


	3. Chapter 3

The dishes had been emptied and refilled several times over, but finally Mr Popo could begin washing up. Vegeta, despite his size, had eaten the lion's share and now stood watching the sky impatiently.

"You know what I miss?" Elizabeth said, sitting up from where she had been lying upon the ground.

"Dancin' by the bay?" Booker hazarded a guess.

"Close enough. I was thinking of that cotton candy they had there." she said dreamily.

"Heh. You had the strangest damn smile when you first tried it; sittin' on the bench and nibblin' at it like you were afraid it was gonna bite back." They sat in silence for a while longer, until Vegeta gave a grunt, half-exasperation and half-satisfaction.

"What took you so long?" he demanded as Goku swept in for a landing.

"Well first there was an evil wizard who wanted to resurrect a monster his father made. And then the monster lost some weight and became really tall and even meaner...!" Goku said, with a wink at Elizabeth.

"Enough clowning around, Kakarot! In case you hadn't noticed, we're on a tight schedule here! You're only allowed back on Earth for a day, and half the day is already gone!" Vegeta shouted.

"Hey, don't worry. Baba didn't say what KIND of day it was. It could be twenty-four hours from when I got here, or it could be until midnight!" Goku said. He began setting a group of small orange balls on the ground, wrapped in his waistband to prevent them from rolling away. "But I intend to put every minute of it to good use. Starting now!" He raised his arms to the sky. "Eternal Dragon, by your name, I summon you forth: Shenron!"

The sky darkened. The hair on Booker's arms stood on end as the balls began to glow brighter and brighter, until, with a loud bang and a faraway roar, they began to shoot energy upward. He took a step back, shielding his eyes from the glow. When it finally abated somewhat, he lowered his hand and saw an enormous dragon towering above the Lookout. _Aliens and dragons. Why the hell not? This world's getting crazier by the minute._

**"It has been a long time, Goku. I regret that I cannot now bring you back to life."** the dragon boomed.

"Thanks Shenron, but I'm still okay being dead. With Gohan and the others here, the Earth's in good hands! Actually, this wish is for some friends of mine." Goku turned to Elizabeth. "He's all yours! Just remember: the dragon won't kill people. And I'm pretty sure he can't go into another dimension and remove that city of yours, if that's what you were thinking."

Elizabeth took a hesitant step forward. "When you ask a girl for anything she wants, her mind just goes blank." She looked at Booker. "What do you think?"

"Beats me. How 'bout something you always wanted, ever since you were a kid?"

She frowned thoughtfully. "Everything I wished for back then has come true. I'm out of the tower, I've got a family. Haven't been to Paris though, but I think we can manage that on our own."

"**I grow impatient; state your wish."** the dragon growled. Elizabeth gazed up at the creature before she let out a small "Oh!" of realization. "I always wondered what it was like being Songbird. Soaring through the air, with naught a care in the world except me and my flights of fancy." She stepped forward again, and raised her voice. "Shenron, this might sound a little strange, but...I'd like to ride you." Everyone gasped at that, except Vegeta and Booker, the former because he simply didn't care, and the latter because he cared too much. **"I am an Eternal Dragon, not a common mule." **Shenron grumbled. **"However, such a wish would be well within my power to grant." **He paused for a while in thought. **"Very well." **He snaked down through the air until he was only a foot away from Elizabeth. **"Climb upon my neck."**

Even from a distance, Booker could hear Krillin mutter, "Isn't he all neck?" Elizabeth gripped the dragon's side and tried her best to pull herself up onto him. Booker rushed forward and boosted her up. "Up you go. Watch you don't cut yourself on that hide of his."

She beamed at him. "What do you think, Booker? Fancy a trip through the sky on the back of an ancient magical dragon?"

"Long as he doesn't try and buck me off, I'm game." He looked at Shenron for confirmation.

"**If that is your second wish, then it shall be so." **Elizabeth leaned down and offered her hand to Booker, who gripped it and, finding a foothold in the dragon's scales, clambered up in front of her. "Hold on tight, I think he's takin' offffff!" He was right; Shenron shot up into the sky, which returned to the beautiful blue of before. "Whoaaaaa!" Elizabeth yelped, with one arm wrapped tightly around Booker's waist, using the other to wave goodbye to the group on the Lookout. They came to a halt before a towering bushel of a cloud. **"Where do you wish to go?" **the dragon rumbled, sending shivers down his passengers' spines. "I... I think... Just around the Earth once, nice and low so we can watch the world go by." Elizabeth replied, panting for breath.

"**As you say."** Shenron intoned. With a roar that was as much for Booker and Elizabeth's benefit as his own, he dove headlong into the cloud and they were off.


	4. Chapter 4

"That...that was..."

"Like riding the skylines for the first time, only about a hundred times better." Booker agreed. So flush with adrenaline was he, that he jumped off Shenron before the dragon had even come to a halt.

Elizabeth leapt after him, and he caught her by the waist. She was positively aglow with delight as she hopped out of his grip and actually kissed the Eternal Dragon on his cheek. "Thank you, Shenron!" she said, embracing as much of the dragon's head as she could.

"**You are...welcome." **Shenron replied, evidently trying not to sound embarrassed or pleased at the reception his flight had received. He carefully waited until Elizabeth had let go, then rose into the air and hovered above the Lookout. **"You have one more wish."**

"Oh, I can't think of anything that would be better than that!" she gushed.

"How about some cotton candy?" Booker asked sardonically. She gave him a playful glare before she looked back up at the dragon. "You can go now, Shenron. Thank you again!" The dragon nodded and disappeared in a flash of light. The Dragon Balls rose into the air and scattered, rocketing away into the distance. Booker looked around, but saw only Krillin and Piccolo. "What happened to the others?" he asked.

"Dende's on the other side, watching over the Earth. Goku and Vegeta are fighting nearby. You should have seen them down below as you came in." Piccolo said.

"Huh. Thought those were fireworks."

"We were just about to head down and get a better look. Wanna tag along?" Krillin asked.

"Thanks, but we don't...fly..."

"Aw, that's okay. Piccolo and I can take ya!" Krillin sprang forward and lifted Elizabeth into his arms; somewhat surprising given his size.

"Watch the hands, pal." Booker said with a glare as Piccolo lifted him up.

"Are you kidding? I'm a happily married man!" Their escorts bounded away from the Lookout and spiraled down. As the clouds parted, they could see two golden sparks clashing and bouncing off each other repeatedly. "Looks like they're still going at it." Krillin commented.

"Amazing. It's been almost an hour and their power levels are still so high." Piccolo said.

"Man, I gotta get in on that training regimen. How do you think I'd look with Super Saiyan hair?"

Piccolo made no reply. "There. That valley down below should be a good place for the two of you." They flew in low to the ground and dropped their passengers off. "If you need anything, just yell. We'll be up above, but Piccolo's ears can pick up just about everything on the planet." Krillin said.

"How in the hell do you stay sane with all that racket?" Booker asked in wonder.

"I don't." Piccolo said with a straight face. "Wait a second...Krillin, do you feel that? They've stopped."

"I don't believe it! Vegeta's been waiting years for this fight, and he just gave up?"

"Something's changed. Let's find out what." Piccolo took off without another word. Krillin gave an embarrassed half-shrug, then followed him.

"Aliens..." Booker said in an attempt to fill the sudden awkward silence.

"I wonder what makes them different from us." Elizabeth mused.

"You mean besides their stomachs?"

"Maybe Vegeta just worked up an appetite while he was working out."

Suddenly a voice cut through their heads. _"Uh, hello? Is this thing on?"_

"What in the world...?" Booker exclaimed.

"_It's me, Krillin! Piccolo says he can let you guys in on what Vegeta and Goku have been saying. Hang on a second; he's got his wires crossed again." _The voice cut out abruptly.

"I haven't been this confused since you started opening your tears." Booker said grumpily.

"Everything has rules, Booker. Even if the rule is that there are no rules. If we stay here long enough, you'll get the hang of things." Elizabeth said reassuringly.

"But if there aren't any rules, then how can there be a rule about there not being any rules...?"

"Your nose is bleeding again."

"What?" He touched his fingers to his nose in panic. Elizabeth smiled broadly.

"No it isn't. I thought it might for a moment, with how scrunched up your brow got."

Booker sighed. "Y'know, you keep tryin' to pull my leg like that and I'd just as soon you turned your all-knowing-ness back on. Least then I know I'm not supposed to understand a damn thing that comes out of your mouth."

"It's just a joke, Booker. Don't you have a sense of humor?" she asked, clasping her hands in front of her and batting her eyelashes at him.

"Let me check my other pants pocket." he mumbled. "D'you think you could stop doing that?"

"Stop what?" she asked, her voice dripping with honey.

"Stop...doing that."

"Doing what?" she asked in mock innocence.

"That...thing, it's makin' me feel like huggin' you." Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise. "A hug would be nice. What's wrong with a hug?"

"It just wouldn't be right. I...I sold you; the last thing I deserve is to touch you."

Her face fell and she unclasped her hands. "And we were doing so well until now."

Another uncomfortable pause. The two could barely look at one another, each silently asking the other to speak first. Suddenly, Krillin's voice rang out silently once more. _"Sorry about that. If we were using phones, I think they'd call this a conference call."_

Piccolo spoke next. _"In case you haven't felt it, Goku and Vegeta are going at it again. Apparently the last round was just to test the waters."_

"_Hey, at least we can see it this time!" _Booker and Elizabeth turned their gaze to the sky. Sure enough, the two fighters weren't just blurs as they had been before. Vegeta caught Goku with a brutal stomach punch, followed by a double-fisted blow to the back of the neck. As Goku reeled from the force of the impact, Vegeta formed a ball of blue light in his right hand, then hurled it at the other man's head. Strangely, the energy passed right through Goku, who then faded from view. Vegeta turned around, just in time to receive a powerful backhand to the face from the real Goku that sent him flying away.

The fight continued for several minutes, with volleys of energy hurtling back and forth. Finally, Goku stopped and the electrical aura around him dissipated as his hair returned to its original black.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm impressed Vegeta. It looks like we're both evenly matched!" he said approvingly.

"Even? Hah! I felt how much that last hit took out of you, Kakarot. Now let's get on with it!" Vegeta scoffed.

"Not so fast! I wasn't lying earlier when I said I might've found some things you missed. But first, here's a little demonstration for our guests!" He raised his arms to shoulder height on either side, and clenched his fists. A bright yellow aura surrounded him and his hair changed back to yellow to match.

"This is the first Super Saiyan form. It has two other forms, one where you expend more energy for more power, and another where you lose speed in exchange for brute strength." Elizabeth nodded, although she had no idea if Goku could even see her from that height. Goku grimaced in concentration, and the aura around him regained its former sparks. "Now it might not look like much, but this is the next stage. Call it...Super Saiyan 2. It increases your power and speed by twice as much as the previous form, and as you saw, it seems to let us withstand more of a beating!"

"I'm not so sure about that last part, Kakarot. We were born to be fighters; of course we can take it!" Vegeta interrupted.

"Well, ya got me there!" Goku agreed. "But this..." He lowered his fists to his sides. "Is to go even further beyond...!"

And he began to scream. It was a sound of pain, of a desperate inner struggle, and of something one could only describe as 'awe'. A stiff breeze whipped up, and the Earth shuddered. Booker briefly heard Piccolo murmur in his mind _"It's...unreal!" _before the connection was lost once more. He and Elizabeth struggled to keep their footing as the ground beneath them shook violently, but the stress from the energy being released above continued to build.

Suddenly, with a loud grinding and crashing, it split apart. Booker nearly tumbled into the abyss as the crack stretched further (into a shape no one present could identify), but managed to grab a rocky outcropping with one hand. "Booker!" Elizabeth gasped and fell to her knees, reaching out for him. "GO! Get to higher ground!" he yelled as he scrambled for a firmer grip.

"Not without you!" she responded. "Give me your hand!" He made a half-hearted attempt to grasp her hand, and for a moment they gazed at each other in silence. "Don't even think about it, Booker." Elizabeth said at last, trying to sound firm but unable to disguise her voice trembling briefly. "It's no more 'n' I deserve." he replied quietly. "Just do something good with your life, okay? Go see Paris..."

"I am NOT losing you too!" she shouted. "GIVE me your hand!" A tear slipped from her cheek and plummeted past him into the depths of the Earth. _Won't be that hard letting go. Best thing you could do for her. She doesn't need a father who sold her just cause things got a little rough. You weren't ever there when she needed you._

"BOOKER!" Elizabeth yelled and he snapped back to attention. Tears were welling in both their eyes now. _It's just dust, DeWitt. She's better off this way; you know it, she knows it. _But as the Saiyan's scream overhead approached critical mass, the clouds lifted from Booker's mind. _To hell with that. _He gritted his teeth and reached for Elizabeth's outstretched hand. For one agonizing moment, their fingers brushed, but barely missed each other. Then, as the Earth trembled again, he finally clasped her hand with his own. Grunting and straining, as she had with the exercise ball back on the beach, she managed to drag him up out of the ravine. Booker lay flat on the ground for what felt like an eternity before pushing himself awkwardly to his feet. Elizabeth was waiting for him and when he reached his full height, she hauled back and gave him a resounding slap across the face. "Ow... Not going to argue with that one." he commented dryly.

"Damn you Booker." she whispered. "Don't you DARE do that again."

"Sorry. I'm...sorry." he mumbled. The howling winds around them and the screaming above subsided, and Booker DeWitt embraced his daughter for the first time. She felt a few stray drops of moisture on her shoulder and smiled faintly into his shirt. "Careful, Booker; you'll ruin your image. What would the Vox think if they saw you now?"

He let out a heartfelt laugh, then finally pulled away. "All right, you ready to go see what all that fuss was about?" he asked.

"It better be something good; I think the whole planet felt that!" Elizabeth said. Hand-in-hand, they made their way across the landscape, picking their way around rocks both small and large, and up a newly-risen hill; the better to witness what came next.

Booker and Elizabeth stood at the top of the hill and stared in shock at the warrior above.

His hair had grown past his waist, his muscles had expanded even further, his eyebrows had completely vanished (proving that even his forehead had muscles most men would kill for), and the energy surrounding him was almost twice as intense as before. Even from this distance, Booker felt a tingling throughout his entire body. Goku spoke, his voice deeper than before (although that could just be from the screaming, Booker mused). "I'm sorry that took so long. I haven't had much reason to try out this form yet. This is what you'd call Super Saiyan 3."

For the first time since the two outsiders had met him, Vegeta was near speechless. "Kakarot...how...how is this possible?"

"I'd try and describe it, but I've never been good with words. What do you think, Vegeta? Should we give it another try?"

Vegeta shook himself out of his daze and assumed a fighting position. "That long hair just makes you a bigger target. Don't say I didn't warn you."

The fight was surprisingly brief. Despite Vegeta's best efforts and one or two solid hits, Goku clearly had the advantage the entire time. He flickered all around his opponent, delivering only a few punches. With each one that landed however, Vegeta took longer and longer to recover.

Booker saw something out of the corner of his eye and glanced at Elizabeth while the fighters in the air paused for a moment to reassess the situation. He frowned; her hair was standing on end just as the Saiyans' hair was. That strange shimmer that accompanied a tear glistened all around them. "Uh Elizabeth, what are you doin'?" he asked.

"It's not me!" she replied as she put her hands out to either side in an attempt to quell the power that was building. "All that energy they're putting out; it's opening a tear all on its own!"

"Where to?"

"I don't know. Hang on Booker!" And hang on he did. He hugged her close as reality itself whisked them away from the world of Saiyans and dragons and into an even stranger one.

**This particular incarnation of our heroes return in All of Time and Space...**


End file.
